Some of the advice on this page may be considered as overkill however fitting a house alarm is a big investment, not just in terms of cost but in terms of time installing the house alarm.

 

In order to get the maximum benefit of your house alarm carefull planning of the locations of sensors is important.  This is to ensure that no area or more specifically no entry point is left unprotected.

 

To ensure this does not happen map out your house by drawing a rough floor plan, paying particular attention to windows and doors.  You will need to decide which ones to protect and how many connectors are needed.  Consider protecting all downstairs windows and doors and those upstairs that are vulnerable for example having trees, pipes or other access points nearby.

 

You know should have an idea of how many connectors are required and hopefully you wont have missed any area out.

 

Next consider where to place your PIR detectors, these are the motion sensor detectors that recognize movement.  You should consider placing these in all rooms that an intruder would need to move through so if they come via your front door then place one in your hallway.  If you have a backdoor via a kitchen then place one in the kitchen.

 

Ideally the should be aimed at the entry point so the door or window to pick up movement as soon as access is granted.  Also consider making them visible to anyone thinking of entering your property, as they may be put off by seeing the house alarm system.

 

Once all of the areas of entry and routes have been covered by your house alarm you also need to think about the positioning of the alarms control panel, battery and mechanics box, and the external bell box.

 

Consider placing the control panel where it can be accessed easily by you when you enter your house, so close to the door.  If possible conceal the unit in a wall cupboard or behind a curtain.

 

The main system of your house alarm will include a battery, this should be placed where it can be accessed but does not need to be visible so ideal places are ground floor toilets, understairs cupboards. 

 

External boxs that contain your house alarms siren generally also contain a light system that will flash when its set off, and sometimes indicate when the alarm has been armed.  Consider placing this where it will get the most visibility so the front of your house at its highest point.  If your house is easily accessed from the rear consider placing the box or a dummy alarm at the rear of the property as a deterant.